An Avengers Slumber Party
by Rayne Forever
Summary: Steve's throwing a sleepover and all the Avengers are invited...plus Loki. Phil and Fury have their own sleepover. Steve gets angry; Bruce is left out; Tony's egotistical; Thor is protective; Loki's a coward; and Natasha and Clint are adorable together. child!Avengers. No powers. Review? Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"DAD!" Steve bellowed. "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!"

"What is it, Steve?" Phil Coulson replied, looking down at the boy. He was trying to finish sewing his newest set of Captain American themed pajamas.

"Why aren't they here yet?" Steve whined, pulling on his father's arm. "You _promised_ Tony and Mr. Fury would be here _early!_"

"Well, Steve, I can't control their arrivals," said Phil. "Why don't you go play outside while you wait for them, okay?"

"Can I get the new baseball out?" his son asked, eyes wide with anticipation.

"Yes, you may, now let me finish," said Phil, laughing as his son let go and ran off to the garage, shouting for joy.

Once in the garage, Steve pushed aside his bike, his scooter, and reached into the chest that kept all the sports equipment. On the top, there was a plastic bag from the store where they got the baseball from. He pulled it out and plopped down on the ground to wrestle the plastic wrapping of the box off.

He stayed there, yanking off bits of plastic, bending his nail backwards and ripping it off, until there was a knock on the door.

"I got out it!" Steve shouted, rushing from the garage. He dashed past the little room his father was sewing him, knocking him aside and raced to the front door, sliding to a halt.

"Hi, Tony! Oh. It's . . . oh," he grumbled, looking at his non-best friend. "Hi, Bruce. You can come in, but only if you can get this stupid ball out of the package!"

He tossed the box to the tanned kid with dark hair and glass. Bruce caught it, stumbling backwards. He had never been very athletic.

"S-sure thing, Steve," he said and followed Steve into the kitchen.

As Steve sat down on the counter, Bruce began looking through the drawers after dropping his bag on the island counters. Phil walked in as Bruce pulled out a pair of scissors.

"Hi, Mr. Coulson," said Bruce, snipping away some of the plastic. It wasn't long before he got the baseball out and handed it to Steve.

"Sweet!" Steve cried. "C'mon, let's go play!"

"Don't break anything!" Phil called to the boys as they ran out of the house. Steve had shot ahead while Bruce trailed just slightly behind. He sighed, leaning against the doorframe. Steve and Bruce weren't' the best of friends like Steve and Tony were or Clint and Natasha were, but they got along fairly well. Phil was rather certain that Steve was jealous of Bruce and Tony getting along so well, and he probably figured that Bruce was trying to steal his best friend.

Out in the yard, Steve had the ball in his hands and was getting ready to toss the ball over to his friend. He pulled his arm back and tossed it, letting the ball fly from his hand. Bruce leaned forward, trying to catch, took a step –

And fell to the ground.

"Oomph!" he cried, his glasses falling to the ground.

Steve sighed as Bruce picked himself up and pulled his glasses back on.

"I'm sorry," he said, crawling to the ball.

"It's fine," Steve grumbled. When was Tony ever going to get here?

"_Hey!_ Where's my red carpet, and the cheerleaders?"

"Tony!" Steve cried, running past Bruce and tackling his best friend as he was stepping out of the back of Nick Fury's car.

"Steve!" Tony shouted back as he picked himself up. He caught sight of Bruce, standing under a tree, ball in hands. He would glance at the two and then away before glancing back again. "Hey, Bruce!"

"Hi!" Bruce called back, shifting is weight to his right side.

Nick Fury got out of the driver's seat, pulling Tony's bag with him.

"Take your bag, kid," he said. "And remember, I'm only here because your dad is working."

"Fury, I really don't care," said Tony. "Also, I believe we're all staying in Steve's room. It's right inside, up the stairs, last door on the right. It's right after the bathroom with the rubber duckies."

"Those were Dad's idea," Steve muttered.

"So, wanna play catch?" Tony suggested as Fury went inside.

"Alright," said Steve, slightly begrudgingly.

The three boys played catch, Steve growing more and more frustrated with Bruce as they played. He would mess up almost constantly, ruining whatever streak they were going for.

Inside, Fury and Phil watched them from the kitchen window.

"I guess we're having our own sleep over," said Phil, washing his hands. He'd finally finished Steve's costume and was getting ready to prepare the feast the kids would soon be eating.

"No, we're not," Fury replied. "I'm only here because Howard couldn't make it."

"Y'know, sleep overs really aren't that bad," Phil said, pulling out pre-made pizza dough from the fridge. "We can watch movies all night while the kids stay up. Then again, they'll probably crash by eleven. I mean, the oldest is nine and the youngest is seven. Anyways, I have a lot of horror movies and ones about World War Two; Steve loves them."

"Do you have a guest room?" Nick replied, ignoring all the other questions.

"Nope, and all the couches are way too small for you to sleep on," said Phil. "However, there's plenty of space in my room for you to stretch out. Besides, I got the _Bourne_ collection last night. Have you ever seen them? You seem like you would like them. Oh, there's Clint."

"Fine," Fury sighed. "We'll watch them. But that's it."

"That's all I'm asking," said Phil and then ooh'd seeing Natasha appear from nowhere, grabbing the ball and hurling it towards Clint. He dove, rolled and caught the ball solidly in his right hand before launching it back at Steve.

"Where did Natasha get such a good arm from?" Fury asked.

"I think she's on the softball team," Phil replied. "I mean, she tried out for the baseball team, but they said she had to be on the softball team."

"I see," he said.

Back outside, Thor and Loki were finally being dropped off by Odin. Loki stood awkwardly behind Thor, wishing he wasn't the youngest. Thankfully, his brother was the biggest.

"Ah, comrades," said Thor, catching the ball Bruce had meant to toss to Tony, but had thrown it towards the right instead. "What are we beginning this sleep over with?"

The heads of the children snapped to look at Steve who blinked a few times before letting a grin stretch over his face.

"We, my friends," he began, smile growing even more, "are about to become pirates."


	2. Chapter 2

"But I don't wanna be a girl!" Loki protested, holding the bonnet in his hands.

"Hey, it's either you or 'Tasha," said Clint. "And she hates playing the girl. So that means you're the damsel in distress."

"Brother," cried Loki, turning to Thor for help.

"Oh, come now, Loki," said Thor, already dressed as a sailor. "It's just a game; it means nothing."

"Fine," Loki grumbled and tied the bonnet on his head. He crossed his arms over his chest, pouting.

"Sweet, we're all set to begin," said Steve. "The Brits go with Thor and the pirates with Tony. And Loki? Just stand in the middle."

"Actually, I would like to make a request," said Thor. "Could we be the Asgardians instead?"

Tony and Steve shrugged together, signifying they didn't care.

Loki sat down on the driveway while Tony, captain of the pirates, was joined on the left side by Natasha and Steve. Thor was playing the commander of the Asgardian fleet, and as such, stood on the right side with Clint and Bruce.

"So, what's this adventure about?" Bruce asked, fiddling with the toy sword at his side.

"Well, we're going to kidnap Loki and you guys have to try and get her back!" said Tony.

"_Him_," corrected Loki.

"Fine, get _him_ back," Tony amended. "And it's also a treasure hunt."

"What's the treasure?" asked Thor.

"This," said Steve, pulling out a pocket watch. "It's not real gold, but we can pretend it is!"

"Sound good," said Natasha. "Let's begin!"

"I need to have Dad hide this first," said Steve and ran inside.

When he returned, the pirates ran off to claim their "ship," Phil's pickup truck where Steve had already stashed the Nerf guns. The Asgardian sailors ran off with Loki to claim Steve's tree house on the far side of the lawn. They scrambled up the ladder to grab their own Nerf guns.

"Raise the mizzenmast!" they heard Tony shout. He was standing on top of the truck's cab, pointing towards the tree house. "Position the canons! Fire! We must capture the princess!"

"I'm not a princess!" Loki screamed, sticking his head out one of the windows.

"Fire!" Tony shouted again.

Natasha stood up in the bed and fired her Nerf gun. The dart hit Loki straight in the forehead.

"Oh, great," he muttered. "You just killed me."

"Idiot!" snapped Tony.

"He needs medical attention!" Thor commanded. "Lieutenant Bruce, attend the wounded. Clint, fire when ready."

Clint appeared in the doorway, crouched with a gun positioned against his shoulder. He pulled the trigger rapidly, sending a spray of foam darts at the enemy's ship.

"Ha, you missed!" gloated Steve, firing back.

Before long, everyone was on the ground except for Loki who was hiding in the tree house. He had one of the small Nerf pistols with him, and was ready to shoot whoever climbed up. It wasn't long before Natasha had pulled herself up the ladder, but she shot at Loki first, hitting him the hand. He dropped the gun with a yelp.

"You're coming with me!" she declared and grabbed his hand, pulling him down to the lawn. "I've got the princess!"

"_Prince!_" insisted Loki.

"Can't you just play along?" Natasha snapped, glaring at him.

"Fine," he muttered. "Just don't look at me like that!"

She shrugged, and ran off towards the woods that fenced Steve's house. She had seen Phil and Fury walk off in that direction earlier, and wanted that watch.

"Follow that sea wench!" Bruce shouted, raising his fake sword and gun in the air and running after her. "She has the princess!"

The rest of the kids started running after Natasha and Loki, into the woods where Natasha was leading the way down a dirt path. Suddenly, she took a sharp left and went crashing through the trees. Loki slid to a halt and looked after her, eyebrow raised.

"Not happening," he said.

"Move, brother!" Thor shouted and Loki started running along with the rest of the pack.

"Where do you think they hid it?" Tony asked Steve. The two were towards the back, having been the farthest away when everyone took off.

"Not here," replied Steve. "Let's look somewhere else."

"Okay!"

They two doubled back, heading to the main path. They charged down it, racing towards the end.

"I'll show them for making me play a girl," Loki grumbled as he, himself, parted to go his own way. Little did he know, Thor was behind him.

Bruce wandered off in his own direction, not really caring for the treasure as much. He was looking forward to later when they would be playing that new zombie killing game his mom had bought him only a few hours ago. When he had told Steve, Steve freaked out and begged him to bring it with him. Bruce had agreed, finally feeling wanted by Steve. Granted, it _was_ for a video game.

But still.

"Hey, 'Tasha! Wait up!" Clint called as he jogged a little faster to catch up with the girl.

"Sure you ought to be coming with me?" she called over her shoulder. She slowed down to a walk and waited for him to catch up. Once he did, she said, "I'm a pirate. I should kill you."

"How about we start our own ship together?" Clint suggested, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards a spot where some branches were cracked and knocked aside.

"We could," she said. "I could still kill you though."

"You can be the captain," he said, shrugging.

"Really?" she replied, her face lighting up. "Steve and Tony _never_ let me be the captain!"

"That's stupid," said Clint as the two paused to look at some marks in the dirt.

"That way," said Natasha, pointing down another path.

They continued walking, debating if they should have a pit bull mascot or a cobra. In the end, they decided on a pit bull as it would be easier to control.

Suddenly, they approached a clearing and looked around. In the center sat a tiny box, just big enough for -

"The pocket watch."

Their heads snapped to the left, seeing Bruce step into the clearing.

"Well, it appears we all arrived together," another voice said. They looked up to see Thor and Loki standing together and Tony and Steve to their right.

"Race for it?" Tony suggested.

"As soon as I say three," said Bruce. "One, two, three!"

The kids scrambled forward, dashing, racing, rushing until all three were in the center, fighting with each other to see who would grab it first. It wasn't long before one of the boys' hands grabbed it and backed away from the group.

"Got it," Clint smirked. "I win."

"You always win," Steve grumbled.

"Hey, 'Tasha, you want it?" Clint asked, offering her the package.

"Okay!" she said with a bright smile, taking it from his hands.

"Clint and Natasha, sittin' in a tree," the other boys began. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love-"

"Shut up!" the two cried together.

"Girls have cooties!" Clint shouted and received a forceful punch from Natasha. "Sorry."

The kids heard laughter, and they turned to see Mr. Fury and Phil walking into the clearing.

"C'mon, dinner's almost ready," said Phil, gesturing back towards the house.

"PIZZA!" Thor shouted, charging towards the house. "Come, comrades, the mighty cheesy goodness awaits!"

"I'm never going to get used to this kid," Fury said to Phil as they followed the running kids.

"He grows on you," replied Phil.


	3. Chapter 3

"This cheesy dish is not mighty goodness," Thor declared.

The chatter around the table snapped off as if someone had killed the power to the TV. The kids turned to stare at Thor, eyes wide. Phil's jaw dropped – Thor _loved_ his cooking.

"Then what is it, pray tell?" Fury grumbled.

"Glorious cheesy pleasure on baked dough!" he shouted, shoveling food back into his mouth.

"Never getting used to him," Fury repeated to Phil. The kids were laughing, as they watched Thor consume copious amounts of pizza. The rest of them had eaten mini-pizza's Phil custom made them, but Thor was eating what would easily be classified as a large from any pizza place. Plus, the dish was piled with pepperoni, green peppers, bacon and whatever meat Phil had at the time of preparing it.

"Thor, where does all this pizza go?" Bruce asked.

"My stomach," Thor replied around a mouthful of baked chicken and ground beef.

"I don't think that's possible," Tony said, shaking his head.

"You should see him on Thanksgiving," Loki piped up. "He eats almost as much as our dad does and then passes out during the Macy's Day Parade."

"But I'm always up for the game," Thor interjected. "Speaking of which, when are we playing Bruce's new game?"

"Later," Steve said dismissively, waving his hand. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?" Phil replied, glancing over at his son.

"Could we have the cake now?" Steve asked.

"Alright," said Phil, getting up to grab it. Unlike at Steve's last sleep over where he bought a cake, this one was one he had baked and frosted himself. The cake was a large rectangle - large enough to fuel seven young children on sugar rushes for a few hours at least. He had layered it with frosting, knowing how much they enjoyed it.

He grabbed the cake from the fridge and brought it over for the kids. He placed it on the table and turned his back to grab some paper plates and something to cut it with. And the instant his back was turned, one of the kids yelped.

"Tony!" Bruce moaned and Phil spun around.

Tony smirked and shrugged, holding his hands in the air. He had just grabbed a spoonful of frosting and flung it at the other boy. Bruce was cleaning frosting from his glasses, rubbing the lenses on the underside of his t-shirt.

"Nick, this is about to get bad," Phil said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"How can you tell?" Fury replied, standing up as Thor reached for a handful of cake.

Tony sucked in a breath and shouted "Food fight!"

Fury and Phil dashed out of the kitchen as Thor launched the cake towards Clint. Natasha attacked Clint as well, swiping frosting across his cheek. Clint threw a handful at Loki, hitting him in the chest. Loki flicked cake and sprinkles at Steve's face, and Steve took the opportunity to relieve some of his jealously and hit Bruce square in the face.

The kids hurled food everywhere, erupting in hits of giggles and battle cries. More cake ended up on the floor than in their bellies, and their hair was coated in white, sugary goodness.

And that was only in the first five minutes.

Natasha swiped a huge portion of the cake and hauled herself on to the top of a shelving unit that kept her hidden from the rest of the boys. From her perch, she was able to pinpoint her exact targets and quickly coat them in cake.

Loki had chosen the moment when they were trying to find Natasha to crawl into the entry hall where Fury and Phil were hiding out.

"Stay right here," Phil whispered. "We'll take care of this in a moment."

Loki nodded and turned to watch the cake throwing contest.

Thor was standing atop the island counter, hurling cake at whoever he could find. He would give a mighty roar before letting the baked good fly and watch with immense satisfaction as it hit his "enemies." However, due to his position, he made an easy target for his friends.

Natasha was fast running out of ammo, and if she wanted to stand a chance as the last one to stand, she would need to swipe more.

Or form an alliance with Clint.

Natasha leapt from her perch, landing on her feet, knees bent. She rolled past one of Tony's spoon launches and yanked Clint out from behind a chair.

"Alliance?" she whispered in his ear as he targeted Steve's face. Bruce threw two handfuls of frosting, hitting the two in the shoulders.

"Sure," he said and handed her some of his cake.

Fury looked over at Phil, raising his eyebrow.

"You really gonna let those two parade over this?" he asked.

"I think – no, I know – they've had their fun," Phil replied and stepped into the room. "Okay, guys! We're done now! You've had your fun."

"But, Dad!" Steve protested

"No buts," Phil warned, pointing a finger at the boy. "All of you, outside. Into the driveway. Loki, you too."

They each looked at Phil with untrusting looks. One of Loki's eyebrows arched as he looked Phil up and down. They were ushered outside by Fury and Phil. They lined up, facing the house. They watched, eyes growing wide as Phil picked up the garden hose.

"Dad, please don't," Steve whimpered.

"We don't have time for all of you to bathe," he replied and smirked, flipping it on.

Water sprayed the kids and they cried out in protest. Many shouts about the water's low temperature reached Phil and Fury's ears, but Phil continued on, making sure the water wasn't too pressurized, but could still get the job done.

A few minutes later, he lowered it, turning the water off. The kids were dripping wet, puddles forming under them, water rolling down the driveway. Loki, Thor and Natasha resembled wet cats with their long hair. Bruce and Tony appeared shocked as they stood still, and Steve glared at his father. Clint shook himself, similar to a dog, and managed to get Phil and Fury speckled with water.

"Well, that was fun," said Phil. "Who wants a towel?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Fair warning, this involves three ghost stories. And if you're a chicken like me, it kinda sucks to read them. And I'm sorry if they suck.**

* * *

Outside, the sun was just starting to set, but inside, the young group of friends were fathered in Steve's living room. The kids were wrapped in their warm pajamas, blankets over their shoulders. After they had changed, they had been playing Bruce's zombie killing game for nearly an hour. However, twenty minutes ago, they stopped and built a fort made from pushing chairs together and throwing extra blankets over it. Pillows were inserted into the leftover holes, blocking any light from reaching the inside. Now, the seven were surveying their work.

"Do you think we'll all fit?" Loki asked.

"Surely we will," Thor replied.

"It will probably be a bit of a tight fit," said Bruce.

"Natasha could always sit on Clint," Tony suggested, smirking at the two.

Simultaneously, Clint and Natasha reached out, punching Tony. He let out a yelp, jumping back. The two laughed, giving each other high fives.

"Well, anyways, let's get in," said Steve. "Someone grab the light."

Steve climbed in first, followed by Tony with the light. Thor and Tony followed with Clint, Natasha and Bruce ending the trail. Bruce pulled the blanket shut before Tony had turned on the light. It was pitch black in their fort, and Loki's hand shot out to grab Thor's. When Tony flipped the light on, Loki pulled his hand away.

"Dim it, Tony," Steve commanded. "We can't tell ghost stories when it's so bright."

"G-ghost s-stories?" Loki stammered. "Isn't it still a little early for that?"

"I heard it was supposed to storm tonight," Bruce said. "The clouds are probably getting dark by now."

"But – really," Loki insisted. "It's early."

"Stop complaining, Brother!" Thor said, slapping him on the back. Loki jerked forward under his strength.

"Okay," he mumbled.

"Who wants to go first?" Natasha asked, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I'll go," Tony volunteered. "I've got one I've been saving this one for a while."

"This better be good," Clint muttered.

"Alright, so once there was a young boy," Tony began, dimming the light. "He was a poor, neglected child whose father always worked. No one loved him, and even though he was so young, he had mastered the art of cooking. Daily, he made meals for himself and breakfast for his father. His father always ate out for his other meals.

"One day, his father announced he was going on a business trip, and the boy would have to care for himself. The father left, leaving no money in the house for the boy, and locked him inside. By the second day, the boy had run out of food. By the fifth day, the boy had already broken all his finger nails off, leaving his fingertips bloody stumps, and by the tenth day, when his father came home, the boy had died.

"The father wasn't heartbroken – not in the slightest – and as such, he merely gave the boy a pathetic funeral, completely lacking flowers and family and love and mourning. When the father returned home after the funeral and crawled in bed, he was disturbed by a force unknown to him.

"The lights flickered on and off, and the suddenly all power in the house slammed off."

Tony glanced around to see the effect of his story so far, and saw Loki cringing into Thor's side. He smirked and continued.

"The boy appeared to his father, a skinny, bony ghost and screeched at him, showy teeth connected with only tissue. He raked his bloody nails down his father's chest, shouting "I only wanted a cheeseburger!" and the father was never heard from again. True story."

"Tru – that was stupid!" Clint cried. "Seriously, a cheeseburger? That's the reason he died?"

"What? Death by lack of cheeseburger? It's tragic!" Tony declared, crossing his arms. "I thought it was scary."

"It's okay, Tony," Steve said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You scared Loki."

"I'm appalled at the lack scary in the story," Loki grumbled. "Steve, do tell me you have a better one?"

"Of course I do!" Steve replied. "Actually I have multiple. Give me a minute to think one up."

A moment later, he pulled the light over to him and cleared his throat. "Okay, I got one.

"This is the story about four girls who used an Ouija board. Now, we all know just how dangerous the stories make them out to be, but these girls assumed it was just a game. One of the girls, Mary, wanted to wait until midnight to begin the little game. The girls started by asking silly little, meaningless questions.

"No, see, this board is strange looking, covered with letters and symbols. There was a plastic pointer thing that was supposed to move across the board because of the spirits we summoned. The thing is called a planchette, according to the instruction booklet that came with the board.

"Around one thirty in the morning, the planchette froze in Mary's hand. it wouldn't move, no matter how much they pushed or pulled.

"Mary turned her frightened blue eyes towards Tessa and said "I'm not doing it." She lifted her hands, and Tessa drabbed the planchette herself and tried pushing it around, but it was fixed to the board.

"Suddenly what felt like an electric shock buzzed through her fingers, and she gasped, trying to pull her fingers from the planchette, but they were stuck. Mary and Jessie both tried pulling her fingers away, but nothing helped. The girls stared with wide, round eyes , as the planchette came alive under her fingers – which were still stuck to the surface – and began to move.

"Help." The words spelled themselves out right under her hands. "Help me. Help me."

"The planchette kept moving back and forth between the h-e-l-p continuously until Sarah cried out "Who are you?"

"Amber," the board spelled. "My name is Amber. I am eight years old."

"What's wrong?" Mary asked. The girl's face was so white that all the freckles stood out like age spots on an old person.

"Water. Danger. Help. Scared."

"Call 9-1-1," Mary cried out. "Quick. Amber is in danger."

"By this time, Sarah was gasping into the phone. Then she hung up the phone. "They would listen to me," she told her friends.

"At that instant, Tessa's hands were released from the planchette.

"She's gone, the girls realized.

"See if you can contact her again!" Mary said urgently. "We need to know if she's okay!"

"Tessa picked up the planette again. "Amber are you there?" she asked softly, afraid of what might happen.

"After a long pause, it moved across the board out spelled out the words: "Too late." And after another long pause: "Water. Flood. Drowned. Mobile. Alabama." The planchette stopped, and they knew Amber was gone.

"The girls didn't sleep that night. In the morning, they rushed through breakfast and then looked up the Alabama news on the Internet. None of them were very surprised to read that there had been flash floods the night before. And in the list of names of those who had died in the floods was an eight-year-old girl named Amber."

Steve finished and pushed the light into the middle of the circle again.

"That's creepy," Clint admitted. "Not much else, but it is creepy."

"Much better than Tony's, I must admit," added Thor. "Is that one based on truth or is it fiction?"

"I'm not sure," said Steve. "So, who's got one they wanna share?"

"Are you sure we need to continue?" Loki asked. "I mean, surely we've had enough."

"God, don't be such a chicken!" Natasha cried. "C'mon, who wants to go next?"

"I will," Bruce said quietly. "I've got a good one."

Loki gulped and made a sound of protest sort of like a cat being drowned. He could go his entire life without having to be subject to the hearing of another ghost story for as long as he lived.

"Once long ago there lived a poor family," Bruce began. Just as he started, thunder clapped and lightning flashed. This pulled a little yelp from Loki's mouth as he burrowed into Thor's side. The kids laughed and Bruce continued.

"In this family was a daughter and son. One day the mother asked the two to go to the garden to see if they could find any potatoes left in the garden. Now winter had come and what food they had stored away was gone and the mother hoped they might find a few potatoes so she could fix potato soup. Well, the two went to the garden and begin to dig the earth looking for potatoes.

"As they searched the wind grew cold and beat against their threadbare coats. Just as they were ready to give up the young boy hit something with his hoe. He dug hurriedly hoping to find another potato to put in the pot for the night's meal. Suddenly, there on the end of the hoe was a toe. The young boy rejoiced at the meat he had uncovered and thought how good this would make as a flavoring for the potatoes. Taking the few potatoes and the big toe they headed on home.

"The young boy showed his mother the treasure he had uncovered in the garden. The mother, thinking it to be part of a wild animal, cleaned the toe and potatoes and put them on to cook. After the meal was prepared the mother told her young son he could have the bone and the meat remaining on it, since he was the one who had found it. That night everyone went to bed satisfied and fell asleep.

"Late in the night the father was awakened by moaning outside the house, saying, "I WANT MY BIG TOE. I WANT MY BIG TOE." The father got up and went to look, but found nothing. He went back to bed and the moaning started again, this time closer to the house, saying; "I WANT MY BIG TOE. I WANT MY BIG TOE."

"The mother got up and went outside to see if she could find the source of the noise. She searched in the barn, around the house, and on top of the hay and found nothing. The mother went back to bed and the moaning started again, even closer to the house saying; "I WANT MY BIG TOE. I WANT MY BIG TOE."

"This time the girl got up and searched. She looked out the window, around the house, in the barn, and, behind the barn, but could find nothing. The young girl went back to bed and the moaning started again, even closer to the house, saying ; "I WANT MY BIG TOE. I WANT MY BIG TOE."

"The father called to the boy and asked him to go see, if he could, where the sound was coming from. The young boy looked in the kitchen, under the table, around the house, in the barn, and then he thought; I've looked everywhere but under the steps. Just as he bent to look-"

The power snapped out and the battery in lamp died. The rest of the sentence was drowned out by thunder, but his next words were heard very clearly.

"NOW I'VE GOT YOU!" Bruce screamed.

The rest of the kids screamed as Bruce laughed a laugh that didn't belong in a ten-year-old.

Upstairs, Phil and Fury heard the kids screaming and glanced at each other. They had just pulled out flashlights from Phil's bedside table and turned them on. After they glanced at each other, they pounded down the stairs and pulled the blanket away from the entrance to their fort. They shined the flashlights in the see Loki curled up in a ball with Thor's arms around him. Clint and Natasha were wide eyed, leaning against each other. Steve and Tony's mouths were hanging open, and Bruce was laughing, holding his sides.

"Guys, it's just a story!" Bruce said, wiping away a tear from his eye. "You should have seen your faces though! This was pure gold!"

"Come on out of there," Phil said. "Who wants hot chocolate?"

"I-I-I d-d-do," Loki stammered, looking up at him.

"P-pl-please," Tony agreed.

As they climbed out, Bruce was still chuckling. Never before had he made such an impact on his friends, and when he had, he had seriously scared them.

* * *

**Credit for Ouija board story – **_**Amber '**_**A Texas Ghost Story' retold by S.E. Schlosser from **_**Spooky Texas.**_

**Bruce's story is from "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" and it's called "The Big Toe." (Also, sorry if the grammar wasn't the best on it. I'm far too much of a chicken to read through and edit things I find on the Internet.)**

**And also, I apologize - this chapter should have been out two days ago, and I just kept putting it off. I'm sorry. But at least it's out?**


	5. Chapter 5

The others had fallen asleep what seemed like hours ago. After their hot chocolate, they had all retreated to Steve's room. Phil flicked off the lights for them as the kids settled into their sleeping bags or curled into cocoons with their blankets. Fury had put on the first _Harry Potter _movie for the kids to fall asleep to. It had cast a warm glow over them while they fell asleep.

Well, the movie was rolling through the credits now, and every time Loki closed his eyes, he imagined some horrible, decaying monster pulling him from his pallet of blankets next to Thor. He would jerk awake and bite his lip. _No one_ else was awake, so why was he?

Or so he thought.

The only ones who had managed to fall soundly asleep were Bruce and Thor, though Thor was a rather light sleeper. Bruce, having told the story, had no fear of it. He only feared it when he first heard the story, and that was some time ago.

Steve and Tony were sprawled out on Steve's large bed. While they were both awake, they had their backs to each other, trying not to let anyone see they were still awake. Tony had fallen asleep almost immediately after starting the movie, but was awoken midway through by a nightmare.

Tony rolled over, staring at the ceiling. He could just see a set of shelves to the right and turned his head, looking at the action figures thrown carelessly onto them. Since it was Steve's room after all, most of the figurines were Captain America, but he noted with a small amount of interest that there were two Iron Man action figures.

As the credits of the movie came to a close, the screen darkened and Tony sucked in a breath. In the young boy's mind, it seemed the once the lights went out and it was dark, all the monsters came out to play. Tony rolled over, burrowing into Steve's back. The other boy was warm, comforting. He let his eyes fall shut, and surprisingly, the monsters stayed away.

Steve was instantly wide awake once Tony touched his back. He hadn't expected that, but after a moment, he relaxed as well. Tony was soft, welcome, and safe. Maybe now, with the ease of his friend right next to him, he could fall asleep without nightmares. Steve shut his eyes, letting his breathing fall into the same pattern as Tony's.

On the right side of the bed, facing into the room from the door, Natasha and Clint were also having difficulties getting to sleep. Natasha had never been one for scary stories, and Clint was busy shooing away fear and an overactive mind.

"'Tasha?" Clint whispered, his voice almost nonexistent in the dark room.

She rolled over, her green eyes bright, almost catlike.

"Can't sleep?" he mouthed, and she nodded in agreement, wiggling closer in her sleeping bag. Clint laid an arm out that soon served as her new pillow, her head resting on his shoulder. He wrapped the rest of the arm around her, pulling his friend closer. Maybe when they were older, there could be more, but for now, Clint was happy to have the girl in his arms.

He had first met her through their martial arts class a few years back, and he watched her earn new belts almost monthly until she was ready to challenge some of the older, larger children, and still come out on top. Now, the two were equal in belts, but would never fight, not wanting to know who would win.

Clint shut his eyes, but immediately snapped them open when the movie transitioned back to the title menu. The theme song started to play on an endless loop, and it took a moment too long for Clint to settle back down. Natasha was already drifting off to sleep, and he was sitting there, overreacting to everything! He needed to shut his mind off and get some sleep already. It would suck if he was the last one to wake up like he was at their last sleepover.

Now, _that_ was embarrassing.

Clint let his eyes fall shut, doing anything he could think of to avoid letting the stupid ghost story into his mind. It wasn't even that scary, he told himself.

On the opposite side of the room, Loki could already sense everyone was asleep except for him. He crawled towards Thor and shook his arm. Instantly, his older brother was awake, his eyes trained on him.

"What is it?" he whispered to the younger one.

"I'm scared," Loki whispered back.

"Brother, it was just a story," Thor whispered. They both paused, hearing Bruce turn over in his blanket cocoon.

"I know . . . But-"

"Just come here," Thor interrupted.

Loki curled up next to him, his back rest against Thor's side. He felt like a kitten, curling into a ball next to its mother, but Thor was danger-free (unless he was in the mood to spar), and he was snug in his arms.

There, lying like that, the youngest of the group was finally able to fall asleep.

* * *

"Think they're finally asleep?" Fury asked Phil. They were in his bedroom, watching the movie _Salt_ while waiting for the kids to fall asleep.

"Don't know," said Phil. "But do you want to be the one to open the door to check and wake them all up?"

"You know I don't," Fury replied. "Should we just ignore them and get some sleep ourselves?"

"Well, I'm finishing the movie," said Phil. "I've been wanting to watch this for a while."

"This is chick is pretty legit," Fury agreed. "We can finish it and then hit the hay."

"Actually, I was thinking we should set you up on a date," said Phil.

"Coulson, just shut up and watch the movie," Fury snapped. "I am not going out with anyone, and you need to be up early enough to cook breakfast for those tykes."

"Are you sure?" Phil pressed. "Because I know this woman named Maria, and I think-"

"Shut up, Coulson."

"Yes, sir," Phil muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

Phil and Fury were the first ones to go downstairs the next morning. As the adults, they also needed to make breakfast for the young ones, and if they were the last ones up, then that couldn't happen.

Fury started up the coffee while Phil pulled out a bag of fresh oranges he had gotten at the farmer's market two days ago.

"Think the kids enjoyed themselves?" Fury asked.

"Oh yeah," Phil replied, chuckling as he pulled out a juicer and a knife to cut the orange with. "But if they want to do another one soon, I think you should take them."

"Me? None of them are even mine," Fury said, pulling out two mugs. "Why should I take them?"

"Because Tony's parents never have time, Thor and Loki's parents had them for the previous one, and we both know how unreliable Natasha's parents are, and the same with Clint's. Besides, I had them this time," Phil explained. "Naturally, it's your turn for the next one."

"My house isn't exactly – kid-friendly," said Fury.

"Didn't you say that you live in the same house as from when you were a kid? And don't you have a tree house?"

"Well, yeah, but -"

"Then that's perfect! They can stay there."

"I know nothing about kids."

"Nick," said Phil, turning away from juicing the oranges. "Stop making excuses. It will be your turn to take them."

"Gah, fine," Fury snapped, pouring himself a cup of black coffee. "They can come over for their next sleep over."

"We're having another?" came an excited voice from the entrance.

"And at Mr. Fury's?"

The adults turned around to find the group of young ones bright eyed, but just barely awake. Thor had asked the first question, and Clint the second.

"Yes," Fury grumbled, and the kids cheered.

"I'll have breakfast ready in just a sec, kids," said Phil as he bent to pull out a skillet from a cabinet. "Go play outside, or something."

"Let's have a water balloon fight!" Tony suggested.

"No!" Phil and Fury cried together, thinking of how wet they'd get.

"Fine," Tony mumbled.

"We could play more of that zombie game," said Bruce.

"Yes, let us do that," Thor agreed and they rushed into the living room, scrambling to get controllers for the first round. Clint, Bruce, and Tony lost the race for the four controllers and sat behind their friends to watch as they shot zombies, their scores sky-rocketing before long.

When the round was over, Fury walked in and grabbed the fourth controller from Loki.

"That's going to give Loki's score an unfair advantage," Steve protested.

"Oh, come now," said Thor. "He needs all the help he can get at this game."

"Brother!" cried Loki.

Thor laughed, throwing his arm around his brother's shoulders and squeezing him in a one-armed hug.

"Look at your score, brother. You do need the help."

The rest of the kids exploded into laughter as the next round started, and even Fury managed to let out a little chuckle.

About fifteen minutes later, Phil called them all to come eat. In the dining room, he had laid out a huge spread of pancakes, some Pop Tarts (for Thor), bacon, syrup, scrambled eggs, French toast, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Pop Tarts!" Thor shouted in glee, scrambling to be the first to get to them.

"If you start another food fight, though, you're all in so much trouble," Phil warned.

"Yes, Dad," Steve mumbled while the others agreed as well.

The kids ate, poking fun at each other, and suggesting games they should play at their next sleepover. Loki brought up something about magic, and the rest of the kids gave him a funny stare.

"This isn't _Harry Potter_," Tony said "There is no magic."

"Okay, sorry," Loki mumbled into a forkful of pancake.

Thor laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Don't apologize for everything, Loki!" he said.

Loki glared up at him from under his black hair, and Thor laughed again.

The kids headed outside after breakfast and climbed into Steve's tree house.

"We should go camping instead of sleeping over at Mr. Fury's," Natasha suggested. "I've never been camping."

"Camping's fun," said Steve. "Dad and I always spend a ton of time fishing."

"Do you actually clean the fish and eat them?" Tony asked.

"Yep," Steve replied, grinning.

"Oh, that's just filthy and disgusting!" Tony cried, scooting away from his best friend. "How vile!"

"Hey, fish is good!" Steve countered, pretending to be angry, but he laughed instead.

"Yes it is," Bruce replied, looking dreamy about the subject. "Hey, if we don't go camping, let's make Fury take us to Red Lobster."

"Let us conquer all the sea food!" Thor shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"The- Thor, we don't conquer it. We just eat it," Clint responded.

"You mean your father doesn't take you on long sea voyages to harvest crab, lobster, and copious amounts of fish?" Thor asked, looking so confused. What kind of family _didn't _do such a thing?

"And your family does?" Clint said.

"Of course we do," said Loki.

"I'll never understand all your customs," said Natasha.

"Well, if it's any consolation, we'll never understand yours either," replied Loki.

It wasn't long before parents began to arrive to pick up their children. Thor and Loki were the first ones to leave, their mother picking them up in their golden Lexus. Phil waved as the car pulled of, the remaining kids tossing the baseball around.

Before long, the only two left were Steve and Tony. When Fury came outside, finally ready to go after helping Phil clean up a bit better, the boys were still throwing the ball back and forth.

"Hey, my dad said we were going to Universal Studios next month," said Tony as Fury waited in the car. "Wanna come?"

"I would love to," Steve replied. "I'll ask my dad."

Fury honked the horn, and the boys looked over their shoulders at the car.

"Guess I should probably go," said Tony, hugged his best friend, and ran towards the car.

"See you next week!" Steve shouted, standing on tip toe as he waved.

**Oh my gosh, I can't believe how long this took! At it's so short. . . Forgive me, please. I hope you enjoyed the kiddy Avengers, and there will be a sequel called "An Avenger's Camping Trip." The first chapter will be up either later today or tomorrow, and takes place a few years later. Hope you'll all join me for it!**

**I love each and every one of you that enjoyed this story, favorited, followed, and reviewed. You each deserve cookies and a huge hug!**


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